W.Va. Judges Back at Work and Collecting Pensions
W.Va. Judges Back at Work and Collecting Pensions Save Email Print
Posted: 3:57 PM Jan 9, 2009
 Last Updated: 4:48 PM Jan 9, 2009
 Reporter: Associated Press
Email Address: news@wsaz.com
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Two circuit court judges who temporarily resigned while running unopposed for re-election are back on the bench, collecting both their salaries and full pensions.

Kanawha County Circuit Judge Charles King and Cabell County Circuit Judge Alfred Ferguson both returned to their courts earlier this year, according to the state Supreme Court.

By resigning, they were able to start drawing pensions. But by rescinding those resignations after the unopposed elections, both judges are now in a position to earn roughly $188,000 each in salary and pensions.

Matt Turner, spokesman for Gov. Joe Manchin, says the governor is still committed to a campaign promise to pursue legislation that would prevent other public employees from following the judges' lead.
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Posted by: Pam Jeffrey on Jan 11, 2009 at 02:45 PM
Hopefully some qualified person will run in the next election and soundly defeat them. I will vote for WHOMEVER they may be!
Posted by: Bob L. on Jan 11, 2009 at 01:23 PM
Ok, close your eyes and listen to the mentality our region has. Oh... $188,000 too much money for one person to make in a year. I would guess you might want these judges to retire, take there EARNED pension and get a job at the local Wal-Mart welcoming you or calling you while you have dinner as a local telemarketer to supplement there retirement. That’s a way better option as to them using there experience and education to better serve the people of there communities. I believe there offices were run unopposed, the complainers here either couldn’t run to help the community for lack of education, experience or whatever the EXCUSE might be but you didn’t. Do a little research before you call someone scum, and print your name if you do. Be prepared for someone to look you up on goggle and print something on you. Hmmm didn’t think so. Thanks Judge Ferguson for BOTH your paid and volunteer services to the community! Bob L.
Posted by: eugene on Jan 10, 2009 at 07:44 PM
where are they any different than other people that retire and begin to draw a pension, then get employment somewhere else and still draw the pension money?
Posted by: Bill on Jan 10, 2009 at 07:53 AM
Sounds a whole lot like Kentucky.
Posted by: jeremy on Jan 10, 2009 at 07:01 AM
now these people are no better than the criminals they put away.
Posted by: Steve on Jan 10, 2009 at 12:44 AM
Did you expect anything different? They're the biggest crooks walking the street. Very few of them actually EARN their salary. There are some good ones, but for the most part, our justice system(can't hardly say that anymore w/o laughing) is a ridiculous!
Posted by: Pablo on Jan 10, 2009 at 12:04 AM
They found a loop hole, and are taking advanage of it. They know the legislature didn't have this in mind when they past the law, but they are in love with money and are going to take it. What scum. I can only wonder what the ultimate Judge will say on their judgement day? Could it be "the root of all evil is the love of money?"
Posted by: deb on Jan 9, 2009 at 11:14 PM
If they could "take back" their resignations then why can the state not "take back" the pensions? How crazy, I quit, aww just kiddin, I'm still working...either you retire and draw a pension or you don't. It makes NO sense that the state is obligated to pay a pension to an employee who rescinded his retirement.
Posted by: Lisa on Jan 9, 2009 at 07:19 PM
I thought there were rules/policies in place to prevent "double dipping" like this. Although they have provided public service for many years this is an outrage, and the pensions should be suspended until they are fully retired!!!
Posted by: Hannibal on Jan 9, 2009 at 06:13 PM
What do you expect ? After all, they were lawyers before they became judges ! Lawyers are nothing but bottom feeders, and judges are even worse!
Posted by: John on Jan 9, 2009 at 05:29 PM
They should be thrown in jail for stealing the taxpayers money.
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The Yell: Comments for the Week of 7/5
  • Posted By: to food for thought: i think you have solved the mystery on m.t.r.obama pay back of the unions.lets see if the so called news investigates this theory.but aren,t news media union too.wont hear any thing from them.left up to the peons and peasants to bring up truth ful news.
  • Posted By: Keith: Anon. it would seem Big Earl is sick of you too. And Food for Thought, great comment, Cecil Roberts is a joke and a sorry excuse for a labor leader he seems to as big a dunce as his buddy Obama. Look at the union under him and figure it out. So hows the hope and change working for everyone? Another half million jobs lost in June. Trace it back folks, the economy went belly up when it bacame apparent the democrat party was going to nominate a radical, ignorant, inexperienced marxist to their ticket. Economists tell us that full employment is considered at an unemployment rate of 4.7%, a year ago unemployment was at 5%. But you all know, Bush was soooo stupid. Look at how the war in Iraq turned out...ooops can't use that one, look at how great the economy is now...oops, can't use that one...well everybody hated us when Bush was in office and now everybody just loooves us and helps us out in the world, well, oops, look at N. Korea, Iran, can't use that one. Some of you really got fooled.
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  • Posted By: politically correct again: do video on left wing coal protesters,tea party ,a grudgeing few sentences.i wrote a longer anynallyse,but i dont see it,it must have been too much truth for liberal left wing so called reporting.but we do have some truth seeker else where,they,re catching on.....
  • Posted By: jesco: What a disappointment the Ashland Summer Motion was for our children. No focus on the children whatsoever...........The hospitals were the main focus along with the motorcycle show..... very little for the children to enjoy. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!
  • Posted By: Ben Chambers: YOUR DECISION TO SHOW MJ FUNERAL IN PLACE OF DAYS IS VERY POOR AND NOT WELL THOUGHT OUT. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAME. MAYBE A NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR IS IN ORDER.
  • Posted By: : RE: Worm in Water If you will Google "hair worm", you will be given millions of pages of information concerning the hair worm. There used to be a myth that a horse hair put in water would turn into a worm. From experience, it doesn't work.
  • Posted By: food for thought: WSAZ I ask of you please do a a follow up story of the 6 weeks of rain that we had so some of these people who have forgotten will have some miniscule sense of thereselves to know that ALL THAT RAIN would cause flooding anywhere. Here is another story. Find UMWA president MR. Roberts and ask him why he hasn't come out and had his brothers and sisters to be involved in keeping there MTR jobs.All these people that say Massey is a Union breaking company should be worried in salvaging the jobs they do have. It's not rocket science, UMWA supports Obama, in return Obama may reward them. This may be from left field but believe I am on to something. Isn't it strange the protesters only target Massey. Most of them are led to believe there are NO union jobs in WV. HOW STRANGE!? Here is the hunch I have WV politicians don't like Don B and the Union supports Obama. So sounds like a money trail to me for the hippies. Just a thought, but makes for good reporting. Big Earl lets make the idea reality!
  • Posted By: To Fat Earl: You're losing! Ha,Ha!
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  • Posted By: : I for one am sick and tired of reading the same bs that big earl keeps spewing out. All you ever hear is peta, tree huggers, hippies. People who made a difference in this world and who are smart enough to care, should be honored instead of being bashed by some people who have the mentality of the monkeys who they believed they evolved from. also big earl keep on believing that your idol, who you worship and adore so much is smarter than a nasa scientist, apparently you haven't been around any smart people.
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  • Posted By: buck: why is it w/ summer sports it seems the parents make it all about them instead of the kids. am i wrong or do alot of these parents seem to want to relive life again through the kids. or even worse make a claim to being so good at whatever the sport the parent did that they push the kid all because of what they did 'or never did'. These parents also seem to be the really high ego type person. funny thing is if the parent was so good then why arent they pro or at least a great college player. what i have noticed is the the kids w/ the parent who did play college or was on the verge of being pro does not press the issue. they allow the kids to play ball. just my opinion
  • Posted By: Big Earl: Well hello again good working coal people of WV this is Big Earl and I hope everyone had a nice holiday wouldn’t it be nice if we could have a holiday or one of them permenant vacations from all the tree hugger types and hippies that are barging into our communities uninvited tying to run all our jobs off. Well good people I am calling on those who have the means to do so and you know who you are so lets pony up some cash and have our own protest here in the coal fields to support our coal miners. I seen on this very TV station where the tree huggers held a rally and a cookout with a bunch of Grateful Dead hippie wanttobees singing about the trees and polar bears but we can do one better. We can have it down at the coal festival in Madison people I say invite some real singers who aint got above there raisin like WV adopted son Mr. Charlie Daniels and how about Alabama since they have coal down there to. Invite Gov. Joe and them people from Washington DC that is a good way to find out who is pretending to be a friend of coal and who is really on our side. We could even make Mother Jones bobblehead dolls to give away I for one would like to see her set loose on these tree huggers that have invaded Cabin Creek trying to run off her beloved coal miners. You could pull a string and she would say #** !!##**!! Tree huggers.
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